Savage Kiss - Chapter 63

Xu Qingyi had just received a WeChat voice message from Mi Lian and hadn’t yet figured out what was going on when Shen Yanzhou kissed her again.

Her mind felt a bit hazy, and for a moment, she didn’t push him away. It took her a while to regain her composure. “Shouldn’t we go back?” she finally managed.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that being outside was unsettling.

Shen Yanzhou’s voice sounded as rough as sandpaper. “When it comes to tormenting me, you’re truly exceptional.”

Xu Qingyi knew she was in the wrong. It was as if she had given him hope, like telling him that the peaches of immortality were just a few steps away in a hotel, only to toss them back to the coastal district dozens of kilometers away.

So, she smiled. “I’ll pay you extra this time.”

Shen Yanzhou: “…”

As if he were only in it for her money. Yet, he didn’t dare refuse, afraid that doing so would mean there’d be no next time.

Shen Yanzhou hadn’t driven; he rode in Xu Qingyi’s car.

On the way back, he only glanced at his phone occasionally, spending most of the time watching her. If her hair fell over her face, he would gently brush it aside.

Xu Qingyi couldn’t help but swallow. “Stop moving around.”

Whenever he tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingertips would inevitably graze her cheek.

Shen Yanzhou tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “It can’t always be just me suffering.”

“…”

They finally returned to the coastal district and parked in the garage.

As Xu Qingyi got out of the car, she half-expected Shen Yanzhou to cling to her relentlessly.

But he didn’t. Instead, there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes as he tentatively asked, “Are you sure you don’t need me to go buy some?”

Xu Qingyi shot him a glance and said nothing.

Shen Yanzhou, with his long legs, followed closely behind. “I’m certain we used up the last of what you had the other time.”

The last time she was painting, neither of them held back, and they went through a whole new box.

The elevator had arrived. Feeling that saying more would only make her embarrassed, Xu Qingyi ignored him and walked straight into the elevator.

Shen Yanzhou, with his long stride, caught up in one step.

The moment they entered the elevator, it was clear he wanted to kiss her, but he held back, remembering her reservations.

He restrained himself the entire way, finally letting go the second they stepped through the door.

Another long, intense battle ensued.

Late into the night, Shen Yanzhou still hadn’t let her go. He pondered many reasons why she might have been willing tonight.

Was it a silent acknowledgment that their relationship had progressed?

Or had her no-strings-attached mindset suddenly given way to a whim for a child?

Surely, she wasn’t planning to pull a drama-worthy move and disappear after getting pregnant?

Xu Qingyi felt Shen Yanzhou jolt slightly as he held her. She looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

By now, she had mostly recovered her energy and had been mulling over some inspiration for product design.

Shen Yanzhou gazed down at her. “What if…”

She met his eyes. What if what?

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he spoke in a low, hesitant voice. “I mean, what if… what if you accidentally got pregnant…”

Xu Qingyi finally smiled, realizing what he was worried about. “It won’t happen,” she said.

If there were any risk, she wouldn’t have let things go this far.

Her periods were always regular, so she felt confident about this. She had calculated the dates more times than she could count.

Shen Yanzhou let out a soft sigh of relief and buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

“If you prefer it this way, I can take contraceptive pills from now on.”

Xu Qingyi looked up, slightly surprised.

Shen Yanzhou cleared his throat, his expression frank. “After all, you’re the one paying, Boss. It’s my duty to accommodate your preferences, isn’t it?”

Speaking of this, Xu Qingyi transferred the money over without hesitation.

They had developed a tacit understanding between them: she gave, and he accepted without any fuss.

It was only then that Shen Yanzhou said, “I’ve saved up quite a bit.”

How much could that possibly be?

Xu Qingyi recalled that he still lived in the auto repair shop and didn’t own a place of his own. “Doesn’t your repair shop make money?”

Shen Yanzhou thought for a moment.

If he said it made a lot of money, there was no guarantee she would stop giving him money or calling him in the future.

Saying it made no money at all was clearly unrealistic.

“It’s not that it doesn’t make money, but when you’re young and impulsive, you don’t really plan ahead. Buying that yacht pretty much wiped out my savings.”

Xu Qingyi nodded, understanding now.

After a bit more tenderness, Shen Yanzhou took the initiative to get up. “I should go.”

She smiled but didn’t try to keep him, because once he left, she also had to get up right away to jot down her first inspiration.

Xu Qingyi took a shower and started working feeling refreshed. By the time she finished, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

She had a quick breakfast, then lay down on the bed and slept incredibly soundly.

When she woke up, there was a WeChat message from Shen Yanzhou on her phone: “Remember to apply the ointment.”

It was already 4 p.m., and she didn’t dare sleep any longer. She needed to maintain her normal sleep schedule at night to avoid messing up her body clock.

Xu Qingyi replied: “Remember to take some supplements.”

Almost instantly, the “typing…” status appeared on the other end.

Shen Yanzhou was always like this, showing “typing…” for a long time before sending just a few short words. She had no idea why he typed so slowly.

He said: “I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

Xu Qingyi touched her wallet. Too frequent.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Shen Yanzhou sent another message: “What are you thinking? It’s for something serious.”

Xu Qingyi got up and worked for a while longer, then specifically sat on the balcony to message her landlord:

“I’d like to rent another studio apartment from you. Would you mind if I kept a small 3D printer and some materials (non-corrosive and odorless) at home?”

The landlord replied a bit slower, but it only took about ten minutes.

He asked: “Starting a studio?”

“No problem, as long as it’s legal, go ahead. The house and furniture will wear out normally anyway.”

She hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. So, she decided to rent another one.

Within half a day, she had cleared out the small room. In the afternoon, the landlord sent an agent to sign the contract with Xu Qingyi on his behalf and gave her the keys.

With everything settled, Xu Qingyi replied to Boss Ke: “It’s all taken care of. Here’s the address…”

This made it convenient for Boss Ke to send over the machine and materials.

Around 6 p.m., Shen Yanzhou sent a WeChat voice message asking if she was home.

She had almost forgotten that he said he would come see her today.

Xu Qingyi called him back. “Coming to my place?”

Shen Yanzhou seemed to chuckle. “I’m just coming up to give you something. No ill intentions, relax.”

Xu Qingyi opened the door and glanced down the hallway. Seeing Shen Yanzhou walking over from the other end, she stepped back inside.

Shen Yanzhou knocked once and pushed the door open.

He was holding her dinner and a Chow Tai Seng shopping bag.

Xu Qingyi looked at him suspiciously.

He very naturally handed it over. “I bought this for you. I’ve never given anything to a girl before, so I don’t know if you’ll like it. But at least it holds its value.”

Xu Qingyi opened it. Inside was a bracelet.

A simple bracelet made of pure gold beads and putuo stones, probably weighing over twenty grams.

She had never bought such things before and wasn’t clear about the exact gold price, but it definitely wouldn’t be less than ten thousand, right?

“Why did you buy such an expensive thing for me?”

Didn’t that mean all the hardship allowance she gave him had essentially been returned?